Despite what YouTube says, chances are you can’t improve your life with a tennis ball and one of those cardboard sleeves your coffee came with. If you’re a gamer, you know you can’t make a console or controller out of cardboard (...or can you?), but you can try some simple tips and add-ons to improve your current gaming setup -- no duct tape required. Read on for five tips to take your gaming to the next level.
1. Tune Out and Tune In
To improve gaming performance, it’s important to get focused, which for gamers can mean honing their audio experience. Get rid of the audio distractions in the room with a pair of closed back headphones, like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x. These headphones keep the outside world out, and your inner world, in.
2. Don’t Drop the Mic
In multiplayer gaming, good communication can be the difference between winning and losing, so it’s crucial to be able to speak clearly and distraction-free with your team. With a traditional gaming headset, you’re often paying more for poor sound quality. Instead, opt for a microphone that you can attach to your existing headphones. We make the ModMic 5 (so of course we love it). The ModMic 5 features the option to drown out a noisy environment around you (later keyboard taps) or capture the nuances necessary for high-quality voice recording. With a ModMic 5 you can have top-of-the-line sound paired with closed (or open) back headphones that suit your gaming style.
See the ModMic 5 unboxed below.
3. Just Calibrate
You’ve been tinkering with your monitor for days now. Maybe even weeks. You sit back, you lean forward, but there are still enemies lurking in too-dark corners. The enemies will always be there, but the corners can be less dark than they are currently. There are several factors that contribute to your screen’s performance: where you sit, color, brightness and contrast to name a few. Lucky for you, Windows has tools that can help you adjust your monitor to make it work. Here’s how to calibrate your monitor in Windows by PC Gamer with the details. And here’s how to calibrate your monitor in Mac OS X.
And if you’re considering using someone else’s settings don't do it. Why? Check out the video below from Lims Cave, it explains it better than I will.
4. Brew Your Own
The pop and hiss of a can of caffeine, whether that’s soda or an energy drink, is often enough to put a pep in your step, but the cost of that can in your hand can add up. Never mind the caffeine-induced tremors that will cost even the sharpest shooter their one-shot. And if you really want to stare into the abyss, check out this article about a study that shows that energy drinks can contribute to diabetes, substance abuse and tooth decay. So how much does it cost financially? Nearly $3,000 over the course of a year for a two-can-a-day habit. There goes the gaming rig you had your eye on. Instead try brewing some green tea to ease both the budget pinch and smooth out the caffeine highs and lows. Plus, antioxidants! But if green tea isn’t your jam, brew a pot of coffee and introduce decaf as the day goes on. Yes, decaf. We said it.
5. Clean your Screen
You know how when you wash your car, it goes faster? (This hasn’t been scientifically proven... yet.) Same goes for your screen. Take the 30 seconds, grab a clean microfiber cloth and wipe off the dust and debris. Avoid any cleaners with ammonia and instead use just a few drops of distilled water on the cloth and wipe side to side or top to bottom. A compressed air can works too, especially if you just need a quick fix. While you’re at it, clean your mousepad, mouse bottom and keyboard. Post-cleaning, take a breath. Doesn’t that feel better? If you don’t feel like a new person, then scroll up to tip #3 and calibrate your monitor to make it really feel like a new day.